Supreme Court Blocks Deployment of National Guard to Chicago

What Happened?

The U.S. Supreme Court blocked a National Guard deployment to Chicago that had been sought by the Trump Administration. In an unsigned ruling, the Supreme Court found that the Trump Administration had ‘failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois.’ The Supreme Court ruling leaves in place a lower court ruling that had also blocked the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago.

The Trump Administration had claimed legal authority to deploy national guard troops to Chicago to enforce federal immigration laws. 

Why it Matters

The ruling is the first time the Supreme Court has weighed in on the Trump Administration’s policy of deploying National Guard troops to several U.S. cities. The ruling means that in the Supreme Court’s view, there is no rebellion against the federal government or inability to execute the laws with regular forces, meaning local police. This ruling could be used as precedent to block other planned National Guard deployments to U.S. cities in the future by President Trump.

If you’re already spending money on Amazon, it makes sense to get something back. This card gives Amazon Prime members the chance to earn cash back on every purchase — plus unlock a welcome bonus worth hundreds.

Approval decision could happen extremely fast, and if approved, the bonus is deposited directly into your Amazon account for immediate use. There’s no extra spending requirement and no special hoops to jump through.

Beyond the bonus, the card lets you earn cash back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases throughout the year. That means groceries, gifts, and household items all earn rewards without changing how you shop.

Considering how much most households spend on Amazon, this card could quickly become one of the most valuable tools in your wallet. The offer won’t last forever, and for Prime members, it’s about as close to a no-brainer as it gets.

Amazon Prime members: See what you could get, no strings attached.

The Trump Administration claimed regular forces referred not to the full-time professional military, but to civilian law enforcement personnel, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. But the Supreme Court disagreed, saying that President Trump must be unable to execute the laws using the regular military before he can deploy the National Guard. And the military can only be involved in ‘exceptional’ circumstances, which the court ruled were not present in Chicago. 

Legally, the Supreme Court’s ruling is a significant setback for the Trump Administration. The court left in place a lower court ruling that found ‘While there have been acts of vandalism and civil disobedience, the Court cannot conclude that defendants’ declarations are reliable.’ The logic used by the Supreme Court completely repudiated the core arguments presented by the Trump Administration that National Guard forces were both necessary and legally within the authority of the president to deploy in these circumstances. 

The Trump Administration’s basis for using guard troops was that federal agents faced danger and risk in executing immigration laws, but that kind of risk is present for every law enforcement officer in the country. Every time a police officer conducts a routine traffic stop they face potentially life-threatening danger, yet none of those risks could ever be used to legally justify federalizing the National Guard. Because such risk is common to all law enforcement officers, it is the opposite of the kind of extraordinary risk being claimed by the Trump Administration. 

How it Affects You

The ruling may not put an end to future attempts by the Trump Administration to deploy National Guard troops to U.S. cities, as they may use different legal arguments to justify those actions. But the ruling will likely halt any further deployments based on the rationale already being employed.